Mistakes by their nature are misunderstood and can become the source of massive stress in a person's life. A mistake can derail one person's success journey and propel another person to greater heights.

The difference between the two is a person's perception of mistakes and how they respond to them.

There is an old saying that the only people who don't make mistakes are those in the cemetery and in reality the statement isn't true. The person that fears making a mistake and does not extend themselves to try has in essentially making a mistake. They have made the mistake of failing to live a full life, out of the fear of making a mistake.

The fact is that people will make mistakes. Anyone who's working hard to succeed will make mistakes as a result of stretching their limits to succeed. No productive person will purposely sets out to make a mistake, the mistakes happen as a bi-product of trying to succeed.

Five steps to turn a mistake into an opportunity:

•1. Admit the mistake - don't make excuses; don't try to blame someone or the circumstances for the mistake. Take the personal responsibility for the mistake and the solution. Once you admit the mistake your time becomes productive in seeking the solutions and not being wasted in the blame game. Admitting the mistake takes courage and move in the direction of resolution.

•2. It in the attitude - your attitude will determine how you see the mistake and how you approach the issue. Look at the mistake through the eyes of what is possible and you will not only see the solution you will also see the opportunity.

•3. Resolve the mistake - mistakes need to be resolved. The longer a mistake goes unattended the more damage it can do. Unattended mistakes have a life of their own and can grow out of control. When a mistake happens make the commitment to resolve the issue as quickly as possible with the best solution possible.

•4. Learn from the mistake - with a mistake comes a life lesson. Learn how to avoid the mistake in the future. Take the positive lessons from the mistakes and learn how to apply them in the future enhance your success journey. The greatest lesson from a mistake is to have an open mind and be receptive to learning and growing as a person.

•5. Turn the mistake in an opportunity - a mistake is a condition that can be used as a spring board to opportunity. In many cases when people are faced with dealing with a mistake they withdraw from the issue that in itself becomes an opportunity. Our attitude will determine how we deal with a mistake. With a possible attitude we will see the mistake as an opportunity. Not only will we successfully work our way through the mistake but when we emerge from the mistake will have found the opportunity.

The five steps to turn a mistake into an opportunity is a systematic approach to successfully work your way through a mistake and to find the opportunity in the process.